Wire coupler



Oct. 8, 1935. J. PYTHOMPSON r 2016,563

WIRE COUPLER Filed Dec. 28, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VENTOR JOHN RTHOMPSON A TTORNE Y Oct. 8, 1935. J THOMPSON 2,016,563

WIRE COUPLER Filed Dec. 28, 1954 2 Sheet Sheet 2 Fi m A2 1 m E i2 EH l Il I l l l I INVENTOR JOHN R. THOMPSO/V.

351 mm BY gfww j A TTORNE V Patented Oct. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT.OFFICE 8 Claims.

' This invention relates to devices for recoupling loose ends of wiresunder tension and is particularly useful in connection with wire fences.

An object of this invention is to provide a device "in two parts of verylow cost and small bulk but of great strength and efficiency whereby theuser may attach one part to a severed wire and the other part to theother end of the severed wire, couple them together and bring the endstoward each other and restore tension.

Another object is a device whereby a farmer or stock man can insert anefficient gate in a wire fence, that may be opened and closed at willand that when closed will closely approximate the appearance andstrength of the fence before the same was opened.

A still further object of this invention is to produce a device of thecharacter described that may be inserted in a barbed wire fence and thatwill not appreciably diminish the efficiency of the fence with respectto repelling live stock.

The above objects and others which will be obvious to those skilled inthe art to which this invention appertains are accomplished by thestructure illustrated in the following drawings which accompany and forma part of this specification and in which,-

Fig. I is a partly sectionalized view of this new wire couplerillustrating its manner of construction and use as hereinafter morecompletely explained;

Fig. II is the same structure shown in Fig. I in a different positionwith respect to parts thereof and further illustrates its mode ofoperation;

Fig. III is an orthographic projection of Fig. I as it appears afterlocking as hereinafter described and with the pliers shown in dottedoutline in Fig. I taken away;

Fig. IV is a section on IV-IV of Fig. I;

Fig. V is a section on V-V of Fig. I;

Fig. VI is a plan view of the sheet metal stamping which forms one partof the device without change, a section of which-may be seen in Figs. IVand V;

Fig. VII is a plan view of the stamping which forms the other part ofthe device before it has been folded to its final shape as shown inFigs. I, II and III;

Fig. VIII is a view in which four of these devices, according to theinvention, have been used to form a gate in a wire fence.

It will be observed in connection with this figure that the devicesshown centrally disposed b'etween the fence posts may be staggered sothat they do not come opposite each other on a ver- This stampingisfolded by a single operation 10 into the trough-like structure shownin the first five views, which is adapted to contain a slide 6, as shownin Fig. VI. The slide 6, is provided with a hook 1, near one end whichis preferably undercut as shown and formed as a ratchet tooth as 15 1shown in this view.

The slide 6 is provided with a loop 9 at the end opposite the hook I,and is also provided with a lug Ill on its edge, opposite the said hookI. The lug I0 is preferably formed as a notch such as H 20 by providinganother lug similar to [0, as indicated by numeral l2, and spaced fromit.

The purpose of the slot 4 is to provide room for inserting the element 6into the element l and bringing it into place and the purpose of theclip 25 5 is to retain the elements I and 6 in substantiallylongitudinal relationship when under stress. as hereinafter described.

To use this device as a gate the wires of a wire fence will be cut andthe element l wired by 30 means of the loop 3 to one cut end and theelement 6 by means of the loop 9 will be wired to the other cut end.When it is desired to restore the fence and close the gate, the point I!of element 6 is inserted through the slot 4 and the wire manuallystretched as tight as may be convenient by bringing the two partstogether and inserting the hook I in one of the openings 2. Afterwards aspecial pliers, such as that shown in dotted outline, is used byinserting one leg in one of the openings 2 and the other leg behind thelug l0 and by a combined squeezing motion on thehandles of the pliersand a rocking motion, the hook I is advanced successively from theopening 2 in which it was originally placed to succeeding openings untilthe desired tensionis attained. This is an exceedingly powerfulmovement, of course depending somewhat upon the length of the jaws ofthe pliers used and its overall length, but by experiment it has beendetermined that an ordinary man using a pair of 9" pliers can strain anumber 12 BWG soft steel wire beyond its elastic limit.

It will be noted that when tension is placed in the wire that the devicesecurely locks itself in 55 place and has no tendency to spring apart,but that it may readily be opened without any special tools by holdingan object such as a field stone against the point indicated by the arrow(1, and tapping the hook I with another such object as indicated by thearrow 17.

The openings 2 may be flared as at 2a if preferred and by properlyconstructing the die with which these openings are formed this can bedone without extra cost.

Aside from its use in forming gates, its low cost, light weight andsimplicity of application will permit it to be used in restoring tensionin wires which have sagged, or wires that have become broken may befastened together easily and cheaply.

Having thus described and shown my invention so that anyone familiarwith the arts to which it appertains can avail himself of itsadvantages, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A wire coupler comprising a fiat metal member folded to define threesides of a channel, ratchet openings in the central side, ,a retainingclip at one end and a wire loop at the other end, in combination with aratchet hooked slide that is movable in the formed channel and adaptedto be hooked from opening to opening in the first named member byapplication of leverage between the two members.

2. A wire coupler comprising a fiat metal member folded to define threesides of a rectangular channel, ratchet openings in the central side, aretaining clip at one end and a wire loop at the other end, incombination with a ratchet hooked slide that is movable therein andadapted to be hooked from opening to opening in the first named memberby application of leverage between the two members.

3. A wire coupler comprising a fiat metal stamping folded to definethree sides of a channel, .a retaining clip over the fourth side at oneend and a wire loop at the other end, ratchet openings in the centralside of said channel and a co-operating slide member adapted to entertherein and be progressively locked thereto under the recurringapplication of leverage between the said slide and said formed channel.

4. In a wire coupler comprising a channel member and a co-operatingslide member, ratchet openings in the channel member and an engaginghook on the slide member, the combination of an outfiaring edge toconstitute an inner sloping surface between ratchet openings in saidchannel member.

5. In a wire coupling device a channel member that is provided with aslot at one end and a wire loop at the other end with a series ofaxially spaced ratchet openings therebetween, the same being made from asingle piece-of sheet metal folded to define three channel boundaries, awire loop at one end and a folded retaining clip opposite the slot atthe end opposite the wire loop.

6. In a wire coupler, a slide member formed from sheet metal, comprisinga shank provided with a wire loop at one end thereof, an undercutprojecting ratchet hook on one side near the other end and a leverageengaging lug opposite the said ratchet hook that is adapted to afiord apurchase of leverage for step by step advancement.

7. In a wire coupler comprising a channel member and a co-operatingslide member, ratchet openings the channel member, an engaging hook onthe slide member and means whereby leverage may be applied between thetwo memhere to advance the hook progressively with respect to theopenings.

8. In a wire coupler comprising a channel memher and a co-operatingslide member, wire engaging means on both members, ratchet openingsinthe channel member, an engaging hook on the slide member and meanswhereby leverage may be applied between the two members to progressivelyengage the hook with the said ratchet openings.

JOHN P. THOMPSON.

